An 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer has become the oldest man to reach the top of Mount Everest - but his record may be short-lived. More »Everest: Japanese Man Oldest To Reach Summit
By Yoshiyuki Osada OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) - Two elderly South Korean women forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels abruptly cancelled a meeting with Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto after he refused to withdraw remarks asserting the brothel system was "necessary" at the time. Hashimoto sparked a firestorm of criticism at home and abroad when he said last week that the military brothels had been needed, and Japan has been unfairly singled out for wartime practices common among other countries' militaries. ... More »Korean "grannies" cancel meet with Osaka mayor over war brothel remarks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The woman who interrupted President Barack Obama's speech on counterterrorism policy on Thursday is well-known around Washington as a perennial protester on national security issues. Medea Benjamin, a founder of anti-war women's group Code Pink, began demonstrating years ago on Capitol Hill, becoming an almost routine presence at hearings where high-ranking officials of the Bush administration appeared to talk about the Iraq war. ... More »Obama in heated exchanges with Code Pink anti-war protester
A 28-stone tiger has gone under the knife in Florida to remove a 4lb hairball. More »Bad Hairball Day! Tiger Needs Stomach Surgery
By Catherine Bremer PARIS (Reuters) - Christine Lagarde has made her mark as International Monetary Fund chief by taking a firm yet pragmatic stance in the austerity-versus-growth debate raging as Europe struggles to pull itself out of a long crisis. Lagarde, who was quizzed by a Paris magistrate on Thursday over a 2007 arbitration payment she made as French finance minister to settle a spat between the state and a businessman, was appointed IMF head in June 2011. ... More »IMF's Lagarde - a pragmatist in austerity debate
By Belinda Goldsmith CANNES (Reuters) - A trip to space with Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio raised 1.2 million euros (994 thousand pounds) for charity at a glitzy fundraiser at the Cannes film festival on Thursday. At the 20th annual event organized by amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, DiCaprio emerged as the mystery guest to accompany the winner on a Virgin Galactic flight into space. DiCaprio stars in the film "The Great Gatsby," which opened the 66th Cannes film festival. ... More »Cannes auction of space trip with DiCaprio raises 1.2 million euros for charity
By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The man made famous for putting down his Big Mac to help free three women held captive for about a decade in a Cleveland house will never have to buy a hamburger in his hometown again. More than two weeks after Charles Ramsey became an instant folk hero after telling his story to television reporters, Cleveland food blogger Michelle Venorsky said on Thursday that 15 restaurants are offering him a free hamburger, whenever he wants it. Venorsky floated the idea to her followers after seeing Ramsey's first interview on TV. "He was so entertaining... ... More »Hamburgers for life reward to man who helped Ohio kidnap victims
A man from rural France impersonated South Korean "Gangnam Style" entertainer Psy at the Cannes Film Festival, eating, drinking and partying with the stars in Cannes for two days, press reports said on Thursday. More »Psy impersonator fools Cannes
By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After years of struggling to break into the Hollywood A-list from television, actor Bradley Cooper has gained some serious recognition for his work on the silver screen. Cooper returns to the comedy franchise, "The Hangover," which skyrocketed his career, after dramatic roles that earned him an Oscar nomination and praise for his more dramatic talents. The 38-year old actor has been on TV since 1999 and landed some supporting film roles. ... More »Bradley Cooper back for one last Hollywood 'Hangover'
Spain honoured the US photographer Annie Leibovitz, known for her iconic portraits of a naked John Lennon and a pregnant Demi Moore, with its top humanities prize on Thursday. More »US photographer Leibovitz wins top prize in Spain
By Belinda Goldsmith CANNES (Reuters) - Veteran comedian-actor Jerry Lewis plays a dramatic role in his first movie in 18 years, "Max Rose", which is premiering at the Cannes film festival, but showed on Thursday he had lost none of his talent for playing the clown. Lewis, 87, laughed his way through a news conference at the world's top cinema showcase with non-stop one-liners about how much he was paid for "Max Rose", his career's ups and downs and his former partner Dean Martin, who died in 1995. ... More »Jerry Lewis plays both straight man and clown at Cannes festival
By Mike Davidson CANNES (Reuters) - Three years after "Senna", the hit film biography of the late Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, sporting documentaries about Jackie Stewart, Muhammad Ali and Pele are competing for attention at the Cannes Film Festival. In "Weekend of a Champion", the Polish-French filmmaker Roman Polanski follows Stewart, his long-time friend, as he prepares to drive in the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix, at a time when the risks to drivers were far greater than they are now. ... More »Cannes documentary makers focus on Jackie Stewart, Pele and Ali
A massive Star Wars X-Wing spaceship has landed on New York's Times Square. More »Giant Lego Star Wars X-Wing lands on NY's Times Square
NEW YORK (Reuters) - For New York City mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner, the road to City Hall leads through Pittsburgh. Weiner, the candidate who infamously resigned from the U.S. Congress two years ago in a sexting scandal, unveiled a video announcing his mayoral candidacy and a campaign logo on his website on Wednesday. The logo is written in blue and orange - the colours of Weiner's beloved New York Mets baseball team. But the image of the skyline that forms its backdrop, while similar to iconic images of New York's Brooklyn Bridge, is actually that of Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente Bridge. ... More »Pittsburgh on the Hudson? Wrong city in NY City campaign logo
By Taiga Uranaka TOKYO (Reuters) - Investors in Japan might keep a close eye on sales of the homely horse mackerel as an early warning of any trouble ahead. The good news is that in the more confident Japan of 2013, tuna remains king. So says Mizuho Securities economist Kenta Ishizu, who believes he has found a leading indicator of Japanese consumer demand that relies on two of the most common items on a sushi menu: Japanese horse mackerel and tuna. ... More »Sushi's Abenomics wave: posh tuna in, plain mackerel out
Hungarian authorities evacuated around 1,000 people on Thursday after an unexploded World War II shell was discovered embedded in the roof of Budapest's city hall. More »WWII shell found in roof of Budapest city hall
OSLO (Reuters) - Defying the stereotype of the tight-lipped Scandinavian, popular Norwegian crime writer Hans Olav Lahlum set the world record for the longest interview on Thursday after spending more than 30 non-stop hours chatting in an online broadcast. Lahlum, who rarely paused for more than a few seconds, discussed topics ranging from U.S. presidents to his fictional characters during the online show hosted by VG Nett, the online arm of Norwegian tabloid VG. The new record awaits approval from Guinness World Records. ... More »Norway crime novelist talks his way to live interview record
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet on Friday formally denied months-long rumours that the premier had not moved into his official residence over fears the mansion is haunted. More »Tokyo denies 'ghosts' keeping PM out of residence
By Yoshiyuki Osada OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) - Two elderly South Korean women forced to work in Japanese war-time military brothels cancelled a meeting on Friday with the mayor of the city of Osaka after he refused to withdraw remarks asserting the brothels were "necessary" at the time. The mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, an outspoken populist who has often stirred controversy, sparked a storm of criticism at home and abroad when he said last week that the military brothels had been needed, and Japan has been unfairly singled out for wartime practices common among other militaries. ... More »Korean women scrap meeting Japanese mayor over brothel remarks